Help - my daughter needs to put on weight

[Lottie4]

Took my daughter to the doctor this morning, she has tonsillitis.

The doctor said she is underweight and this is something I need to address. She's age 12, 146cm and 33.4kg. I'm 155cm and 46kg, but manage to consume approx 2500 cals a day and not put anything on, so guess she follows me. My Mum is only 146cm, so she could follow her heightwise.

In a typical day, she'll have:

Cereal (same amount as oh) and piece of toast with spread

2/3 biscuits depending on size

4 small sandwiches (only ever eats 2 or 3), veggie sticks, banana or grapes and something like babybel, pepperami, cereal bar, scotch eggs, peanuts or crisps. She doesn't think she'd eat more if I give it to her.

Piece of fruit after school, then something like cereal bar, peanuts, chocolate or sweets.

Tea - spag bol, tuna bake with cooked veggies (eats about same as me, a little less than oh), or 6 chicken nuggets, 4 fishfingers, southern fried chicken, fish in breadcrumbs or salmon with jacket potato, 3 new potatoes, rice or plain pasta (which she likes), carrots (about a whole one) and any green veg I give her, 2-3 broccoli/cauliflower heads, 2-3 tbsp peas.

Sometimes has a chocolate mousse. She doesn't like any homemade puddings, yogurts.

Drink milk (for hydration and to keep up her calcuim)

She doesn't like protein items much, hence the reason for items from the freezer 3-4 times a week.

[anywinewilldo]

I have a 12 year old DD. She is 152 cm, and only weighs 36 kg.
She is very slim and always has been (and she does a lot of sport, particularly gymnastics), but I certainly wouldn't call her underweight and she eats lots, including plenty of healthy stuff. She is also progressing perfectly along the same centile line in her growth chart. No-one has ever commented on her weight.

Unless your DD is crossing centile lines downwards on her growth chart, which may be a cause for concern, I think your doctor is talking utter rubbish. And her diet sounds great - I don't think it would be right for you to try to get her to eat more just to put on weight.

If you look at the child growth charts, your DDs weight is about right for her height - assuming, say, that she is 12 and a half, her height would be about midway between the 9th and 25th centiles, and her weight is nearly on the 9th centile, so not far off! In other words, she's slim for her height, but not worryingly so!

I would ignore this doctor if I were you!

[Notcontent]

I also think her weight sounds ok. I certainly wouldn't be trying to feed her more biscuits or sweets to make her put on weight. Nothing wrong with being very slim.

[Eastpoint]

She is a similar size to my dd2 and much bigger & taller than dd1 was at the same age. She's fine, let her be.

[BitOutOfPractice]

You and your mother are obviously petite so it doesn't take the brains of Einstein for your doctor to work out that she might be too

My DD1 is very skinny - technically under weight. When she saw a paediatrician (about something unrelated) she questioneded me about her diet and said "She's technically underweight but look at her - she's bright eyed and bushytailed and healthy in every other way soI'm not worried". Seemed a sensible approach to me

I think the NHS is too much about form filling and box ticking sometimes and not using common sense!

[TheScience]

According to the NHS BMI calculator she isn't underweight at all - she's on the 9th centile for a girl her age but a healthy weight.

[brettgirl2]

www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx

Putting the values in for just turned 12 she is 10th percentile, in healthy range but the lower end.

Is the doctor using adult bmi? But worrying really. ....

[Lottie4]

Thanks everyone. I'd be happy to give her more food, but at the same time want it to be through healthy eating and not by giving foods high in sugar or fat (unless it's something like cheese which has nutritional value).

Admittedly she does have tonsillitis at the moment, but this is the first time she's seen a doctor in five years (last time was to have her appendix out) so generally she is fit and well.

[Boris13]

her diet seems fine to me

1st time in 5 years seeing the Dr. wow!

[Twighlightsparkle]

If she's growing them its fine.

Ignore the Dr

[Lottie4]

Thanks everyone. Half of me has been feeling I've got it wrong and not been treating her well. I'd previously thought everything was okay - yes, she is slim with no tummy (lucky girl!), but you can't see her ribs.

Might see if I can work on any healthy(ish) puds and will make a conscious effort to give her a little more tea, but will try not to worry too much now.

Doctor was concerned she wouldn't start her periods until she was 47/48kg, but somehow I did and they've been regular despite me not being that weight. She's gone into puberty and she is exactly the same stage as her lovely friend who is a bit weighty.